Clean 98 Ranger and Road Salt Advice

[kngelv]

I live outside Detroit and recently picked up a 1998 2WD Ranger XLT extended cab for my son. It has 195K on it and is a 2.5 5-Speed. He is pressuring me hard to let him drive it even when there is salt on the roads. It was a North Carolina truck so no rust underneath and it is not undercoated. How much damage can it get driving for a few months on salted roads. I figure for next year I could coat it with Fluid Film or something. Any advice is appreciated.

James

 

[CorbinsRanger]

I f you washed the living he@l out of the undercarriage very well every week you should be okay....but you pretty much need a lift to do that.

 

[RonD]

Rust doesn't happen that fast so you will be fine

Be sure to keep driving it on wet roads AFTER they stop salting the roads to rinse off as much of the salt as possible
And/or put a garden sprinkler in the driveway and move the vehicle back and forth over it to do a final rinse

In below freezing temps rusting is very very very slow, its when it warms up that the residual salt can promote faster rusting


Rust is cause by Oxygen in the air, the process is called Oxidation
Bare metal(iron/steel) will oxidize when exposed to air, water(H2O) increases speed of oxidation, salt adds to that speed

Paint covers the metal so oxygen can't get to it, so no rust can start
Underside of any vehicle is constantly bombarded by road debris which wears paint/coatings off, exposing bare metal
Salt, or sand, on the road causes even more paint/coating wear

If you see rust spots then you need to neutralize the rust first, then you can paint/coat over it
"Naval Jelly" does that neutralizing, be careful using it, follow instructions
It changes Rust into a neutral material so paint will stick

 

[pjtoledo]

I've seen how much salt they put on Detroit roads, the mist/spray creeps into every crevice and seam.
get it coated ASAP
fluid film or other such coating. they creep into the seams for excellent protection.

 

[ummduh]

A lot!

i brought a clean CA truck to WI and it started rusting almost immediately in one winter. it seems like southern vehicles rust way faster once exposed than an otherwise new at the time vehicle would have.

I wish I had fluid filmed it right off the bat, but didn't.

A friend of mine and I decided to compare fluid film and wool wax. I used the FF and he used the wool wax. IMO the wool wax had superior staying power... almost all of his was still on the important parts after winter while my FF wasn't. It was more difficult to use however.

 

[sgtsandman]

If there is any of that fiber backed heat shielding attached to the bed above the exhaust, remove it right away. They trap moisture, dirt, and salt badly and will cause those sections of the bed to rust faster than the rest.

Other than the Fluid Film treatment you mentioned and making sure the underside of the truck is hosed off as mentioned above, there isn’t much more you can do.